Archive for the ‘Buick the Postwar Years’ tag

It may be small in size, but the information within is second to none. This is one book that every Buick enthusiast and admirer of these high-quality stylish automobiles must own and read.

Penned by Jan Norbye, one of the most notable automotive historians of our time, among the 166 pages of this 7-1/2 x 10-inch hardcover resides some of the most informative and preeminent information ever written on Buick. Within its 13 chapters, plus 20 pages of appendices that list production, engine and specification information, is a well-written, somewhat condensed version, of Buick’s postwar history. It explores the men behind the company’s rise to glory during that era, and the many technical innovations that they had introduced through the years.

The creation of the Y-Job and other one-off prototypes are discussed, as is the design and engineering of their many engines, including their illustrious overhead-valve straight-eight and the celebrated “nailhead” V-8s, as well as those engines that followed.

As its title implies, the book focuses on the production years from World War II to around 1978, when this book was first published, so there is quite a bit of interesting material on the later full-size 1960s and 1970s models that you can’t readily find anywhere else. It’s an all-black-and-white production, yet that doesn’t diminish the book’s value or significance.

Chapter Five is one of the more interesting sections: “Buick Develops the Dynaflow.” Here, in very understandable language, is a thorough review of how this remarkable automatic transmission was designed. It includes many detailed drawings with lots of insightful information that came from interviews directly from those engineers involved in its production. If you’ve always wanted to know how this remarkable transmission works, and how it came to fruition, you’ll learn all about it right here.

While new copies start upwards of $200, the average price of a used edition in good condition runs about $30-$40, although I have come upon several decent used copies at Hershey for a mere $20. Just search the swap meets; they are out there and well-worth the price, whatever you may pay. Enjoy!